The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Firearms produce noise and flash. A suppressor is a device that attaches to the muzzle of the weapon and reduces noise and flash. For more than 100 years suppressors have been designed typically for single shot or low rate-of-fire weapons, for example semi-automatic rifles and handguns. Conventional suppressors perform acoustic suppression using internal baffles and chambers that both trap and delay the propellant gasses from exiting the barrel of the weapon. Such previous suppressor designs generally operate by expanding and cooling the hot expanding propellant gasses in the internal chambers of the suppressor, then delaying the release of the expanding propellant gasses, which transfers heat to the suppressor. The additional time that the propellant spends in the suppressor before being discharged to the ambient atmosphere results in a reduced acoustic signature.
Conventional suppressor designs, however, are not well suited for weapons having a high rate-of-fire, for example machine guns. Machine guns, as well as fully automatic and semi-automatic rifles and handguns can produce high rates-of-fire, typically bursts at dozens or even hundreds of rounds per minute. These rapid rates of fire produce unacceptably long dwell times for the expanding propellant gasses that are contained inside the suppressor. The long dwell times for the expanding propellant gasses can cause overheating and failure, and potentially even melting, of the internal components of a conventional noise/flash suppressor. The unacceptably long dwell times can also dramatically increase the backpressure experienced by the weapon and thus potentially cause malfunctioning of the weapon.